Archbishop Vincent Nichols said MySpace and Facebook led young people to seek "transient" friendships, with quantity becoming more important than quality.

He said a key factor in suicide among young people was the trauma caused when such loose relationships collapsed.

"Friendship is not a commodity," he told the Sunday Telegraph newspaper.

He added: "Friendship is something that is hard work and enduring when it's right".

GEORGE GALLOWAY has revealed that he was a victim of sex abuse as a child.

In today's Record, the controversial MP talks for the first time about his ordeal at the hands of a twisted school janitor - and backs Government plans to vet anyone whose work brings them into contact with children.

He also slams opponents who insist that they won't pay the vetting charge to prove they are not paedophiles. Galloway reveals that his abuser was in a position of trust.

And he says that if vetting laws had been in place, the pervert would not have had access to any child.

Galloway said: "I'm not saying the abuse which happened has ruined my life or anything.

"But it did affect my life, and not in a good way and neither in ways I care to rehearse before you.

"Every time a Soham murderer or a Dunblane Thomas Hamilton emerges, I die a little inside as I remember that dirty old man in Dundee driven by the same perverted interest in sexually attacking kids.

"And the fact that I did not speak up - I told no one of what happened to me.

"All I feel is ashamed, though I was the victim and he the aggressive predator."

The MP thinks his abuser is now dead.

But in typical Galloway fashion, he adds: "I hope he's roasting in the hell fires."

Backing the vetting proposals, Galloway concludes: "If just one child is spared the horrors of sexual abuse by someone they had a reason to trust, then it would be worth it.

"Trust me. I know."

George Galloway revealed he was abused when he was 11, as he backed a scheme to vet everyone who works with children which comes into effect in October.

It has been opposed by leading authors who go into schools, including Philip Pullman, who said the idea was "ludicrous and insulting".

However, writing in the Daily Record, Mr Galloway said the checks would be worth it if they spared a child the "horrors" of sexual abuse.

Referring to child killer Ian Huntley and the Dunblane Primary massacre, he wrote: "Every time a Soham murderer or a Dunblane Thomas Hamilton emerges, I die a little inside as I remember that dirty old man driven by the same perverted interest in sexually attacking kids."

Mr Galloway said he had not even revealed the abuse to his wives.

"All I feel is ashamed, though I was the child victim and he the aggressive predator."

The Ulster University team said having daughters in a family made people more open and willing to discuss feelings.

They said the influence of girls was particularly important after distressing family events such as marital break-ups.

"I think these findings could be used by people offering support to families and children during distressing times.

"We may have to think carefully about the way we deal with families with lots of boys."

Geri Burnikell, co-ordinator of the charity Support Line, which offers counselling to young people and families, said: "This is very interesting and certainly chimes with our experiences.

"Boys tend to internalise problems and in families where there are lots of sons.

"I can see that can cause problems.

"I think the most important thing in these circumstances is to give people someone independent to talk to outside the immediate family unit."

Rebecca Wood of the Alzheimer's Research Trust agreed, saying: "This research suggests that the natural decline of some of our mental abilities as we age starts much earlier than some of us might expect - in our 20s and 30s.

"Understanding more about how healthy brains decline could help us understand what goes wrong in serious diseases like Alzheimer's.

"Alzheimer's is not a natural part of getting old; it is a physical disease that kills brain cells, affecting tens of thousands of under 65s too.

"Much more research is urgently needed if we are to offer hope to the 700,000 people in the UK who live with dementia, a currently incurable condition."

It was launched as a wonder drug. A tablet to take the pain out of kicking the killer weed.

Since it appeared on the market two years ago in the UK, almost 400,000 prescriptions for Champix have been written.

Across the world, that figure is currently sitting at nine million.

Champix, or varenicline, to give it its clinical name, was first licensed here in December 2006.

It mimics the effects of nicotine on the body so it both reduces the urge to smoke and relieves withdrawal symptoms.

In clinical trials, it proved more effective than alternative remedies at getting people to quit.

For its makers - Pfizer - Champix has been a huge success.

In its first full year on the market, the drug brought in a staggering $883m for the company.

But about a year ago, I became aware of stories emerging in the media in which people who had taken Champix were said to have suffered severe depression.